Florida Gators
SEC Tournament Quarterfinals - South Carolina
Men?s Tennis Defeats South Carolina To Advance To SEC Tournament Semifinals
Friday, April 21, 2006 | Men's Tennis
For the fourth straight season and the tenth time in school history the University of Florida men's tennis team advanced to the semifinals of the SEC Tournament as the second-seeded Gators defeated No. 7 seed South Carolina, 4-1, Friday morning in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Florida, who was facing South Carolina for the second time in a week, moved to 15-6 on the year, while USC evened its record at 14-14. The victory was the 100th for head coach Andy Jackson while with UF. Jackson, now in his fifth season in Gainesville, moved his overall Florida mark to 100-32. Jackson became the fourth coach at Florida to record 100-or-more wins while leading the program. He reached the mark faster than all but one other UF head coach (Bill Potter, 1952-77, 124 matches).
“It was very important we won the match although it had nothing to do with getting me to 100,” said Jackson. “We needed it to continue our development as a team and continue our goal of trying to win this tournament. We played a good match today. South Carolina played well and will be tough in the NCAA Tournament.”
The Gators worked on the doubles courts earning the point after an hour and a half of action. UF's Nestor Briceno and Janne Holmia quickly took an 8-2 victory over Adam Adler and Thomas Stoddard on court three in 42 minutes. However, after Vladimir Obradovic and Stefan Tell were defeated (8-6) on court one the issue was forced to court two. Florida's Chris Brandi and Greg Ouellette led 7-4 before eventually holding off Jaime Cuellar and Yevgeny Supeko, 9-8 (6).
Singles play saw the Gators extend the lead to 3-0 with straight set wins by Brandi and Ryan Sherry on courts five and six, respectively. Brandi posted a 6-0, 6-2 decision over Dmitry Babenko and Sherry took out Adler (6-4, 6-2) to get the Gators to within one of advancing.
South Carolina got on the board when Supeko defeated Tell on four 6-1, 6-3. From there the Gamecocks pushed each of the remaining three matches into straight sets before Obradovic could supply the clincher. The Florida senior outlasted Eklund at the top of the lineup 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 for his fourth win in his last five outings.
Florida advanced to meet No. 3 seed Ole Miss in the semifinals on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET. The Gators won the regular season meeting against the Rebels in Gainesville, 5-2, on March 3 and lost when the two met in Seattle during the consolation round of the ITA Indoors (4-2, Feb. 19). Each squad finished the conference season with an 8-3 record to tie for second place in the league standings.
“We saw Ole Miss in Seattle and again in Gainesville earlier this year,” said Jackson. “In Tuscaloosa and on an outdoor court is as neutral as it can be. They are going to be a big test for us. They are a contender for the NCAA title and this match will be huge in terms of momentum.”
#2 seed Florida vs. #7 seed South Carolina
Tuscaloosa, Ala.
SEC Men's Tennis Tournament Quarterfinals
Singles
No. 69 Vladimir Obradovic (UF) def. Tom Eklund (USC), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3
No. 34 Greg Ouellette (UF) vs. Jaime Cuellar (USC), 4-6, 6-3, 2-2 (susp.)
No. 52 Nestor Briceno (UF) vs. Pedro Rodrigues (USC), 6-7(4-7), 6-1, 3-2 (susp.)
Yevgeny Supeko (USC) def. Stefan Tell (UF), 6-1, 6-3
Chris Brandi (UF) def. Dmitry Babenko (USC), 6-0, 6-2
Ryan Sherry (UF) def. Adam Adler (USC), 6-4, 6-2
Order of Finish: 5, 6, 4, 1
Doubles
No. 47 Tom Eklund/Pedro Rodrigues (USC) def. Vladimir Obradovic/Stefan Tell (UF), 8-6
Chris Brandi/Greg Ouellette (UF) def. Jaime Cuellar/ Yevgeny Supeko (USC), 9-8 (6)
Nestor Briceno/Janne Holmia (UF) def. Adam Adler/Thomas Stoddard (USC), 8-2
Order of Finish: 3, 1, 2
